It could be that they are just very exhausted after a weekend in a tent on the Isle of Wight with a bunch of school friends.  It’s an annual event and every year it’s mad to see how the kids have grown. They are literally overtaking me in height.  Gone are the days when I would be running around putting them to bed knowing that if they stayed up too late there would be hell to pay and the hangover at the 6 am wake-up call would be horrific. Now I’m down on the beach with the parents, looking at the stars through a wine glass whilst dancing around a bonfire and singing at the top of our lungs, only to return to a cosy tent with 2 teens snoring inside. They actually put themselves to bed! My job is done!!! My hangovers are still harsh but at least the kids now sleep in later than me, so I have a chance of recovery.  They are at the age where they just eat, sleep and repeat, which is fine with me.

So, my special tent partner was actually the beautiful bride that got married last weekend and featured in last week’s newsletter.  I’m not sure she was that ecstatic about having a honeymoon with me, but it didn’t rain the whole time and we made the most of it.

We hiked to a café around a headland, and the highlight was a water taxi ride back for £3 per person. It would have taken us hours to get back on foot! When I called the number on Google, he just said to stand in the sand and wave my arms around, and within minutes he was there.  It felt like a James Bond moment with the wind in our hair as we zoomed across the water…back to a sausage casserole in the rain.

The Isle of Wight is a special place for me as it’s where I was born, in St Mary’s Hospital in Newport (opposite Parkhurst Prison).  My family all lived there when I was small, and I used to spend summer holidays in Cowes where my Grandad would take me sailing. I loved sailing but rarely got to do it as a lot of the time we would get stuck on sandbanks with only a tin of baked beans and no tin opener for a few hours until the tide came up. Lots of great memories and it gave me a passion for Scrabble and cards as that’s pretty much all you can do to stave off the hunger cravings whilst the water level rises.   I have happy memories of ‘ME’ time with him even if I was hungry and a little bored.

Last week we (Josie Lloyd and I) completed the second episode of our podcast ‘Show Me Your Bits’ and we talked all about my love affair with Scrabble and how my life would not have been the same without it, as I may never have married my husband. We also had special guest Julia Crouch the author and ‘Queen Of Domestic Noir' on to talk about her fabulous jewellery and the stories behind them.  We have 3 more episodes to do this week with 3 incredible guests and then we’ll be ready to launch at the end of July - just in time for you to sunbathe on a lounger with your Air Pods in.

Please do follow us on Instagram @showusyourbitspodcast where each week we will be showing all the jewellery along with pics of our fabulous guests.  Don’t miss out and if you have a tale to tell about your bling please do get in touch.

Many thanks and enjoy your weekend!

Love, Alice X